NYC

Special thanks to Abria Smith, Associate Director for Community Engagement in the Office of Community and Government Relations at Berklee, for sharing your insights at this month’s Forum.

Community Engagement: Gaining Local Support for Your Program

Key Relationships within the Community:

City offices

Other community nonprofits

Neighborhood associations

Fostering these key relationships can offer a variety of benefits, such as:

Gain support for your organization and its mission

Grow your local network

Learn about joint funding opportunities and collaborations

Contribute to the culture of the neighborhood (can help with fundraising)

Help legitimize your programming

Performance Opportunities:

Leveraging Your Brand

The goal is to be approached by others for performance opportunities. So how can you make it known in your community that your students are available, reliable, and professional?

Start by creating an authentic brand. At Berklee, the strength and reputability of our brand opens recognition makes it easier for Berklee to find opportunities. As a member of the City Music Network, your program can leverage its affiliation with Berklee when establishing your brand within your community. (For more information regarding the City Music Network Branding Toolkit, contact Jean Connaughton.)

You can introduce your program to the local community by hosting a public event, like an annual showcase, showing people first-hand how talented your students are. You can even connect it to a charitable cause!

Paid vs. Free Performances

Paid gigs are great, but free performances can also benefit your program. When approached about a volunteer or free performance opportunity consider how the relationship serves your organization, mission, or cause. If the organization is a non-profit, are they paying for everything else, other musicians or special guests?

Recruiting Top Talent for an Event
When engaging celebrities, artists, and local talent to support your program, a little research can help you leverage your appeal.

What other organizations they support and does it align with what you do?

Would partnering with another nonprofit for a particular event make the ask more relevant?

Share what you do, acknowledge their value and don’t be afraid to ask them to donate their time

Consider asking for them to speak instead of perform — they might be more willing to donate time for that

Foster an ongoing relationship instead of a one-time ask

About the Network Forum

Each month, members from around the Berklee City Music Network® gather to discuss topics and best practices helping you to leverage City Music resources in support of your local program. To inquire about participating in next month’s Network Forum, email citymusic@berklee.edu.

Special thanks to Vanessa Bouvry from Berklee Alumni Affairs for leading discussions about engaging local alumni.

Engaging Local Alumni: What You Need to Know

Berklee has 6 major cities with large concentrations of Berklee Alumni:

Boston, MA

New York City, NY

Nashville, TN

Miami, FL

Los Angeles, CA

San Francisco, CA

In each of these cities, there is a Berklee representative responsible for the region and a group of Alumni Volunteers. Regions outside of these 6 major cities may have Alumni Ambassadors.

Interested in contacting a Berklee alum to share an opportunity or information about your organization? Contact berklealumni@berklee.edu.

Engage alumni by providing win-win opportunities in which they can network with each other and elevate your organization and their career, all while giving back. Some suggested opportunities include:

Hosting events

Participating on panels

Being paired with youth as a mentor

Coaching

Engineering

Supporting music in schools

Supporting music in the community

If you already work with an alum, ask them to reach out to their personal network to engage more people in support of your organization.

Building a Volunteer Network: Get Personal

Building your organization’s volunteer network should be a two-way process—your volunteers are helping to support your mission and organizational goals, and you should be just as in-tune with their needs.

Give them roles that are appropriate for their qualifications and goals. Don’t give them a job they don’t want.

Acknowledge their contributions! Send a personal thank you letter, a special note on their birthday, etc.

Be available. Make sure your volunteers know they can reach you by email, phone, or text.

About the Network Forum

Each month, members from around the Berklee City Music Network® gather to discuss topics and best practices helping you to leverage City Music resources in support of your local program. To inquire about participating in next month’s Network Forum, email citymusic@berklee.edu.

Casio is a Tokyo based, internationally acclaimed electronics manufacturing company that produces calculators, mobile phones, cameras, musical instruments, and watches. Casio’s keyboards and synthesizers have been used religiously by musicians worldwide for decades.

The reliability and notoriety of Casio’s products makes them stand out amongst various musical instrument distributors. Casio’s commitment to high-quality and environmentally friendly products is an exemplary standard of excellence in the industry.

The Summit is looking forward to Casio’s partnership with Richard Formidoni on Tuesday, November 10th to present I Learned on a Casio. So many of us can say we started our musical journey on a Casio keyboard. Casio has been enabling musicians for 35 years and counting. Learn how Casio continues to keep music education a top priority, and how its current line of instruments can bring your music to new heights.

Special thanks to Casio for their sponsorship of this one-of-a-kind event. The 2015 City Music Summit will be held at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City on November 9-11. Register today.

One Sound, Many Voices: American Popular Music and Creative Youth Development

November 9-11, 2015, in New York City

Berklee City Music is coming to New York City this fall for its fifth annual professional development event. This year’s programming will support four content areas, including:

Student engagement and performance

Technology/PULSE/curriculum development

Staff and teacher development (best practices)

Awareness raising, advancement of mission, and development

Attendees will engage in professional development, share best practices, network, create opportunities for collaboration, and leave with the tools needed to further the City Music movement, “positively impacting youth development primarily through popular music.”